A history of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law

"The Thomas Jefferson School of Law originated in the 1960s as the San Diego branch campus of a for-profit, non-ABA accredited Orange County law school that served principally part-time evening students. Although it was proud of educating working adults and produced some outstanding alumni, its attrition rates ranged between 50 and 75 percent and its pass rate on the California bar exam sometimes fell below 25 percent. In a half dozen years during the 1990s, the law school radically transformed itself. It separated from its parent, adopted a new name, became the first for-profit law school to gain ABA accreditation, and converted to a nonprofit. Admissions applications soared tenfold resulting in a nationally based student body second in California only to Stanford's for geographic diversity, the academic dismissal rated dropped below 10 percent and its California bar pass rate climbed above 75 percent. Graduates received offers from prestigious law firms in New York, Los Angeles and other cities. The law school was ranked 5th in the nation for the quality of academic life and 55th worldwide for the number of its faculty publications downloaded by scholars and practitioners. This story demonstrates what can be achieved through a commitment to excellence and a belief that people matter."--Page 4 of cover.